#this is from literally over half a year ago but the artist only just got it to me and it was well worth the wait ;o;

[justmystyles]

Big Winners - Part 1

read my other work here!

pairing: Harry Styles x record producer plus size reader

*i say it's a plus size reader, but it is not something that i focus on explicitly in my fics, because your size should not define you. it will only come up if it comes into the story organically.*

word count: 3,118

summary: Harry and Y/N have been friends for fifteen years, they finally work together on an album, and it leads them to a night that will change everything for them.

a/n: earlier this month, all the grammy memories popped up, and it inspired me to write this. i have a million half finished 'moment turned fic' stories in my drafts, but I actually managed to (mostly) finish this one. this is either going to be 2 or 3 parts, i still have a bit to finish, so we'll see.

tags: @abby8694 @allthelovehes @ameerakane20 @ash-craze @bethanysnow @blue-ballad @blueraspberryreader @brightlightsinlife @creativelyeva @cute-as-ducks420 @deannaard @fanficismydrug @gem1712 @golden-hoax @gothmingguk @groovychaosavenue @hillzrry @iceebabies @indierockgirrl @jerseygirlinca @jng4kook @jooniesbabie @kaverichauhan @laurxn-robinson @lexiecamposv @likeapplejuicenpeach @lilfreakjez @mrs-anna-styles211994 @n0vaj3an @potterheadandsherlocked @rach2699 @ravenclawdirectioner @stylesfeverr @superchrystaldrug @tenaciousperfectionunknown @tiaamberxx @thechaoticjoy @theekyliepage @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @youknowwhaaat

Y/N and Harry met fifteen years ago, One Direction had been recently formed, and she was doing an internship at the studio where they were working on their debut album. She had befriended the entire band, but she and Harry clicked instantly, and formed a tight bond. 

They stayed close throughout the years. Harry’s career, both with the band and as a solo artist skyrocketed, while Y/N moved through the industry and had found herself producing some smaller projects. She rarely turned down an opportunity, taking on any work that came her way just to get the experience and the connections. Then, she received the offer of a lifetime. 

Once Harry had finished Love on Tour, he celebrated by inviting some of his closest friends and family to his villa in Italy for two weeks to relax and recharge. Y/N was one of the first people he asked. One night during the trip, Harry and Y/N snuck away from the group; it was intentional on his end, because he had something he was dying to ask her. 

As they sat on the moonlit beach shoulder to shoulder, their toes in the sand, Harry leaned over and bumped his shoulder against hers. “So, I’m going to be starting work on the new album soon.”

“Jesus Har, you’re not even finished with your recharge vacation and you’re already thinking about the next thing?” She chuckled. 

“You know I can’t turn it off.” He said with a sheepish laugh. “But there’s actually a reason I brought it up… I’ve been thinking about the direction I want to take, and who I want to work with, and I was wondering if you’d want to produce it for me?”

Y/N lets out a loud bark of laughter, startling Harry. “Good one.” 

“I’m serious.” He looks at her, and she can see that he really does mean what he says. 

“Harry, I don’t have production experience on that level.” She says, still in shock. “I mean, unless this is like a lullaby album or something.” 

Harry chuckles. “It’s not, but I know you can do it. I know your work, you’re so much more talented than you give yourself credit for. And sure, you haven’t got experience on my level, but you’re never going to get it if you don’t put yourself out there, who better to get the experience with than your best friend?” He says with a toothy, dimpled grin. 

“Literally anyone else?” She teases.

“Hey,” he whines with a furrowed brow. “You know you love me.”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” The two of them are silent for a moment, while she lets his offer sink in. “You really want me to do this? You want me to be your producer?”

“That’s why I asked.” He scoffs. “But seriously, nobody knows me better than you, you understand me, you always push me when I need it, and you don’t take my shit. Imagine how that would translate to music. I think it could be something really amazing. Plus, we’d get to hang out a bunch.” 

“Ugh… you were making a good argument until you mentioned spending that much time together.” She says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes.

“Hey,” Harry says in a serious tone. “If you don’t want to do it, just tell me. But I really can’t imagine taking the next step in my career with anyone else.”

She sighs and smiles softly at him. “I would really love to work with you, Harry. If you’re sure, let’s do it.” 

His smile grows once again as he pulls her into a big hug. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” 

A few months later, the two of them embarked on their first collaboration, Harry’s fourth studio album, and it was an even better experience than either of them thought it would be. They knew each other so well, that they were perfectly in sync with every chord and every lyric. By the time they had a completed album, they were both confident that this was the best work of their careers. 

They were so proud of what they had done that they didn’t care how it sold, or what the reviews said, they knew that they had created something magical and if they were the only two people that liked it, they couldn't care less. However, that wasn’t the case. The record was a hit; glowing reviews, great numbers, and the fans positively ate it up. 

Harry and Y/N’s friendship was one that was well known, his fans would go crazy everytime they were seen together, the fandom was constantly shipping them. So when they found out that she was producing the record, it amped up the anticipation tenfold. As soon as it was released, they were combing the lyrics, and criticizing every background vocal and sound to find any clues about the true standing of the relationship. Of course, there was plenty of speculation, but the truth wasn’t anywhere near as exciting as the conspiracies and analysis. They were genuinely just two best friends with creative minds that made something amazing together. 

Given the reception the album received, it was no surprise that, when award season rolled around, they received a generous amount of nominations. So here they were, in LA, sharing a hotel suite and preparing to attend the Grammy Awards. 

As Y/N sat down to begin the hair and makeup process, Harry stepped out to go for a run to clear his mind. He was nervous about what the evening would hold. Partly for his performance, especially given the mistake at the beginning of his last Grammy appearance in 2023. He had insisted on extra rehearsal time, and extended the production meeting to make sure that everyone knew exactly what needed to happen and when. But more than that, he wanted this night to be perfect for Y/N. He had won awards before, but this was her first time being nominated. When they had first met, Y/N had told him about her dreams and one of the things she mentioned was the Grammys. He wanted this for her more than he did for himself. And although he knew she had matured in the last fifteen years, and valued more than just accolades and awards, if he could be the reason one of her childhood dreams came true, that would mean more to him than anything. 

When Harry returned from his run, he saw Y/N sitting in the common area, her hair and makeup still being worked on. She locks eyes with him through the mirror. 

“Hey, did the run help?” She asks. 

Harry shrugs as he approaches her. “A little, still pretty nervous though.” 

“What’s making you nervous? The nominations, or the performance?” 

Harry thought about the best way to answer this question, he didn’t want to tell her that he was nervous for her. He knew that even though she was hiding it well, she was nervous too, and his nerves on her behalf would make hers worse. On top of that, Y/N was alway so sweet and empathetic, she would take it personally and see herself as the reason he was nervous and end up feeling bad. He didn’t want to put a damper on this night for her. 

“Mostly the performance, I guess.” He finally responds. 

She extends her arm out, wiggling her fingers in an invitation for him to take her hand. When he joins his hand with hers, she squeezes gently. “You’re going to be amazing. I’ve never seen you give a bad performance. You’re going to kill it, and I’m going to be right there in the crowd losing my shit for you, just like I always do.” 

Harry laughs at her pep talk. “You know this is an industry thing, not a concert, right? People aren’t exactly going to be losing their shit in the audience.” 

“Good, then it will be easier for you to notice me from the stage.” She looks over at him with a sweet smirk. 

“Like I could ever miss you.” He scoffs, squeezing her hand.

“You’re showering before you get dressed, right?” She asks with an arched brow, lightning the mood. 

“Not before I give you a big, sweaty hug…” He says, outstretching his arms and moving closer.

“Harry Edward,” she says in a warning tone. “I’m already forty-five minutes into getting ready, and still have at least thirty to go. I cannot start over.

“God, you’re such a girl…” He groans and kisses her on the cheek before going into the bathroom to shower. 

While Harry showered, Y/N’s mind was racing. She’d known Harry long enough to know that there was more going on than just being nervous about the performance, but she wasn’t going to push him. She would just do everything she could to support and comfort him.

After his shower, Harry stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe just as Y/N’s hair and makeup was being finished. She stood from her chair, thanked her glam team and stepped up to Harry. 

“We should just go like this, it would cause quite a stir.” She joked as they stood face to face in their matching bathrobes. 

He smiles softly, still feeling the nerves flow through him. 

“Hey, you’ve got this… we’ve got this.” She assures him. “Even if we don’t win, the album was amazing. We made something beautiful. If the academy sees that, great. If not, whatever, we don’t need them anyway.”

Harry smiles and pulls her into a hug. “Yeah, I know, I know. No matter what, I am so proud of what we did. It’s better than I even imagined it would be, and I owe all of that to you.”

She giggles as she pulls out of the hug. “I didn’t do anything. I just pushed buttons and bossed you around.” 

Harry laughs loudly. “Two things you’re good at. Being bossy and pushing my buttons.” She gasps in mock outrage and slaps his chest playfully. “Seriously though, you brought my vision to life, and you did all the behind the scenes work to make sure it was the best album possible. You’re the biggest reason we’re here tonight.” 

Y/N smiles shyly and blushes. “Oh come on…”

Harry smirks mischievously, he always found it hilarious when he’d make her blush. He decided to double down. “Well, whatever the outcome, at least I’ll have the cutest date in the room.” He wiggles his eyebrows playfully.

“God, you’re the worst.” She chuckles as her blush deepens. “I have to go put my dress on. You changing?”

Harry nods. “Yeah, I’ll do that now. Meet you back here in ten?”

“It’s a complicated dress, might need fifteen…”

“God,” he groans playfully. “Such a diva!”

Y/N sticks her tongue out at him and turns to go into her room to get dressed. 

Twenty minutes later, Harry is pacing around in his suit, it’s a simple black suit with a gold silk shirt, unbuttoned enough to display the sparrows on his chest, and the butterfly across his abdomen. He steps up to her door and knocks gently as a reminder that they need to get going. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” She calls through the door. 

A few moments later, she emerges in a long gown, made of the same golden silk as Harry’s shirt. Harry’s eyes go wide when he sees her. She looks stunning, the gown hugs her curves in all the right places, and compliments her skin tone perfectly. 

Harry’s silence makes Y/N feel a little self conscious. She rarely dresses up, and when she does, she doesn’t usually pick things that put her body on display like this.

“Is it… do I look okay?” She asks tentatively. 

“It’s stunning, Y/N.” Harry looks at her in awe. “You look so incredibly beautiful, like an angel…”

“Alright Har, come on…” she says bashfully as she drops her gaze. 

“No, seriously. You clean up nice.” He chuckles, punching her on the arm playfully. 

“Yeah, well you don’t look so bad yourself.” She looks him over, a small smirk appearing on her face. “Is this why you wanted me to work with your team to pick my outfit? So we would be matching?” 

Harry chuckles and shrugs sheepishly. “Maybe…”

“You’re such a little pain in the ass.” She chuckles. 

“Whatever, it was worth it.” He says, grabbing her wrist and positioning them in front of the full length mirror. “We look damn good” 

“That we do.” She replies with a smile. She notices his expression grow more serious and furrows her brow. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just… fifteen years…” He says wistfully. “We’ve had a hell of a run, you and I.”

“Well it’s not over yet!”

“No, I know. Will you just shut up and let me have a moment?” He says as he nudges her. “We’ve been through a lot together, and I can’t really express how much it means to be standing here with you right now. No matter what happens tonight, we’ve definitely already won.” 

“Yeah, we have.” She sighs, wrapping her arm around his waist and pulling him into a side hug. “Now cut it out with all this mushy stuff, my makeup took way too long for me to start crying right now.” 

Harry laughs and pulls her into a tight hug. “Alright, alright, we’ll save the mushy crying for later.” He gives her one last squeeze before pulling out of the embrace. “Ready to go?”

She nods and he leads her out the door and down the hallway to the elevator. As it makes its descent to the lobby, Y/N gets uncharacteristically quiet. 

“You good?” Harry asks softly. “You seem quiet.”

She looks up at him, almost as if the sound of his voice broke her out of a trance. “Hmm? Yeah, sorry. I think the gravity of everything is finally hitting me. Like, it was all conceptual before, just words. But it’s real, we’re on our way to the Grammy awards… we’re nominated.”

Harry takes her hand, squeezing it gently. “I know. But you can’t worry about it, no more stressing out, okay? Tonight is our night, we just need to go out there and enjoy it.” 

“Can I say one more mushy thing before we stop trying to make each other cry?” 

Harry chuckles and nods, looking forward to hearing what Y/N has to say.

“I… when I decided I wanted to be a producer, my big thing was that I always told people I wanted to win Grammy awards. And I know we shouldn’t be defined by awards, but in an industry like this, you have to have some way to quantify or legitimize what you do to people who aren’t a part of it, and that was my way of doing it. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and this is the first time I’ve been nominated. I can’t tell you how glad I am that my first nomination is with you. It means the world to me that I can have this moment, share this milestone with my best friend. So thank you for letting me be a part of this album. You have no idea what it means to me.”

Harry is taken aback by Y/N’s words. While they were close, and shared everything, she would rarely be so open and vulnerable with her words. No matter what happened at the award show, that moment, right there in the elevator, would be the highlight of his night. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her close, burying his face in her neck. 

“You have no idea what this means to me.” He mumbles against her neck. 

“Okay, so no nerves then?” She asks, pulling out of his embrace. “Whatever happens tonight, we will always have this moment together, and that’s what matters.” 

“Agreed.” Harry says, holding his hand out to shake hers. She giggles at the gesture and shakes his hand firmly. 

After a short ride in the limo, Harry slips out of the car and extends his hand, helping Y/N out. They walk through security and up to the start of the red carpet. Harry turns to face Y/N, and she adjusts his jacket, making sure he looks picture perfect. 

“Okay, go out there and smile big. I’ll see you on the other side.” She says like a proud mom, sending her son off to picture day. 

“How’s my hair?” He asks cheekily. 

She giggles and runs her hand through his hair. “Perfect.” 

He winks and gives her a sly smirk before stepping out onto the carpet and posing for the cameras. 

Y/N watches him take a few pictures, and once he moves on to the second pose position on the carpet, she turns to walk behind the step and repeat. Her arm is quickly grabbed by one of the producers. “You’re up.” He tells her.

“Oh no no no, I’m not walking the carpet.” Y/N insists. 

“Are you nominated?” She nods, a slight panic on her expression. Y/N was a behind the scenes person, she didn’t step in front of the camera. “Then you walk the carpet.” He nudges her forward, and she finds herself standing on the first mark, posing awkwardly for the camera. 

A few steps away, Harry’s gaze is traveling from camera to camera, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Y/N posing, he also sees the panic on her face. He quickly backtracks, coming up beside her and placing his hand on the small of her back. 

“You okay?” He whispers softly. 

“I didn’t know they were going to make me do the carpet…” She whispers nervously. 

Harry keeps his hand on the small of her back, his fingers moving along the skin gently to soothe her. “I know, I know. But you’ve got this, I’m right here with you, we’re going to do this together, this is our night.”

She nods, feeling more comfortable with Harry by her side. The two pose together as they move down the carpet. Harry was completely in tune with Y/N’s emotions, and any time he’d feel her start to stiffen up or get nervous, he would whisper a joke or silly comment in her ear to loosen her up. 

The photographers went crazy observing the chemistry between the two of them. Harry was aware what would be printed about them, and the status of their relationship, but he didn’t care. All that mattered to him in that moment was that nothing ruined this night for Y/N. 

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles x fem!reader #harry styles x plus size reader #harry styles headcanon #harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fan fiction #harry edward styles #harry styles fan fic #harry styles imagine #harry styles x you #harry styles y/n #harry styles blurb #harry styles x fem! reader

[gamchawizzy]

❗️Mutual Aid Needed🦐

Hello hello, I am Woz, I am a trans guy from the global south, and outside of my day job in corporate, I am an artist. I am the breadwinner of my family, and I also get my younger sibling through school.

For a little more than half a decade I have been suffering with bad mental health and suicidal thoughts, on top of trying to keep my family afloat with what I can earn.

I work two jobs to earn money, on top of tabling at conventions to be able to earn extra on the side. I am the one who pays all the house bills, some groceries, often having to send money to my sibling for school and sometimes tuition. Due to the constant pressure from overworking and the abusive social environment I have been exposed to for the longest time, I am now experiencing bodily pains, shortness of breath, headaches, worsening eyesight, and worsened depression as I clock in 10-15 hours almost daily (including weekends and holidays) trying to make ends meet.

I’m humbly asking for your help so I can get proper healthcare, which has been out of my reach for the longest time due to poverty. I was hoping to be able to afford help a few years ago, as soon as I got a job, but ever since the pandemic, the local price hikes just kept going, and going, until the matter was off the table entirely. The biggest reason why I am trying to get this moving now and as urgently as possible is so I can still receive treatment while I am still mentally and physically able to take charge of my own health. 

While I’m still more or less able to function well enough to work, I recently escaped an abusive situation, which was one of the biggest causes of my misery. The fallout from this event brought on a severe impact on my mental health and I was subject to a cult-like shunning by my old community. This has caused me to develop suicidal thoughts again, which eventually led to several self-delete attempts, the latest of which almost succeeded had I not been caught at literally the last second.

At the moment I am stable again and in the hands of trusted loved ones, but I still do not have access to professional help and I don’t know how long this stability will last and the next thing might cause me to spiral again.

We already did some research on getting local help and have a plan in motion, all we need now is the funds to carry it out. The bulk of it will be for the initial consultations and possibly medication, and we’re hoping to have enough to get the ball rolling for a couple months’ worth of treatment as I get myself back on track.

The initial process will be the most expensive as I am suspecting to have an undiagnosed condition that I would like to have checked, as well as possible medication. I do not have a disability ID yet (but I plan on getting one once I get a dx on paper), so we may have to pay full price for initial treatments.

Currently, my primary goal for this would be to achieve psychiatric help, diagnosis, medication, and therapy.

If I’m able to save up for a few months of maintenance and still have extra left over, my secondary goal would be to finally get my knees checked, as I have chronic pain and the occasional kneecap dislocation in them. This has been left unchecked for more than 15 years due to both poverty as well as being outright denied healthcare by the adults around me due to them downplaying the problem. I am nearing my 30s soon. While I’m still able to walk and engage in physical activities without the use of mobility aids, I fear that the complications from this condition if left untreated will only take a turn for the worse as I age.

Direct ways to support me:

Paypal:

Ko-Fi:

I have prints! You can pick up some of my art here:

We do not have a set price goal in mind as it will be a months-long process of beginning treatment and maintaining it, but rest assured all funds received will be set aside for the purpose of my healthcare and well-being only.

I still cannot escape many factors of my life that continue to hurt me, but I am hoping that continuous treatment, therapy, and support will help keep me going so I can keep my family fed without me having to worry about my own health.

Any donation, big or small, helps me so much! Even just a dollar/peso helps, shares and reblogs too! PH Moots, feel free to ask for my GCash in private!

Thank you all for reading! I’m always grateful 😭🙏❤

#mutual aid #mutual assistance #reblogs appreciated!! anything helps 🥺 #No deadline on this - we are hoping to start as soon as March/April but happy to keep receiving donos 😭 #so sorry about all this but yeah it is a big reason why i haven't been drawing outside of work nowadays. so many Bad things added up

[hazelfoureyes]

Hazel Story Time (not Hazbin; just personal hazel lore lmao)

Hazel random story time again

In honor of my favorite band (deadman) releasing a new single.

So I fell in love with this band called deadman in 2006, the same year they broke up. I spent years and years day dreaming of seeing them live. Before and after I moved to Tokyo I would always keep my ears open for the singer (Mako’s) voice, maybe he was in a new band or busking. No such luck.

I did begin a casual fuck buddy relationship with a professional busker, let’s call him Naoki, because that’s his name. He played accordion and piano so his fingers were God tier nimble. He didn’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes and had an impressive skincare routine just in case he made it big. He would do work with jrockers and other artists I knew and it was like fucking my own little celebrity in my too-far-away Tokyo boonies apartment. He was so strong and his skin like delicately cared for porcelain. He would randomly just pick me up and maneuver me during sex and it made me feel like a ✨ little lady ✨.

Well, in the meantime, deadman got back together! But no tours really because of covid. I keep that information in mind and continue living.

One day on Spotify this year I see they have a national tour coming up and are coming to MY CITY.

Just the vocalist, Mako, and the composer (Aie) have reunited but I don’t care, I can finally hear Mako sing live. I get tickets the hour they go on sale, even though there’s no threat of selling out.

Eighteen years of waiting. I literally scream.

While riding that high, I go on insta and see Naoki posted. I wonder what that cutie is up to today. Just a causal meet up with an old friend.

Looking at the photo, my heart stops beating long enough to print the life insurance paperwork. Aie, from deadman, sitting next to Naoki at a cafe.

Naoki

my beautiful dreaming accordion playing fuck buddy of days past who I met in massive Tokyo 6 years ago

is friends with

Aie

composer and half of the reunited band I have waited nearly 2 fucking decades to hear live who is not a Tokyo native

I post a four part close-friends only video of me fucking losing my shit.

Naoki says they’re old friends and sometimes play together, and promises I’ll be on the guest list for the next time they have a show.

The deadman live I got tickets to is next month, and if I get a second to speak to Aie I’m telling him we have a friend in common.

my life is sometimes the stupidest little manga plot, but this one takes the cake. How can the world be so small and coincidences so big?

In a city of 14 million people, I met the one who speaks English and knows the band I’ve waited over half my life to hear play.

#HazelStoryTime

[lorata]

I’m now just imagining Lyme and Brutus comparing stats and mocking each other over how many capitolites think they could take them in a fight. Misha definitely fans the flames somehow

re: this post

I wanted to get this done before the holidays, but my brain took a vacation, so. here's a late gift for everyone. enjoy!

It starts, as with so many things, with an envelope. Delivered with the monthly mail, wrapped in a crimson ribbon, containing a scant few sheafs of paper. Ronan, designated handler of unassigned packages deemed safe by the VA, slides his bone-handled knife along the top edge and removes the contents. He pauses while everyone in the room pretends they’re not trying to peek.

Misha has gotten better at her poker face. Not that she was ever bad at lying — she won her Games with the best damn grift the Arena had seen in a decade — but for a dedicated con artist who can, and has, literally fooled everyone around her to save her life, a ridiculous urge to gloat passes over her when the stakes are low. Devon will catch her peeking around corners or spying from the windows or cackling like a cartoon villain from behind the sofa just because it’s funny.

“You could get away with it if you didn’t do this,” he said once, when her wide grinning over a prank on Callista got her resigned to cat-box duty for an entire week. “I watched your Games in Residential. You even had the trainers fooled. Do you want to get caught?”

“Yes,” Misha said with exaggerated patience. “It’s half the fun. Some tricks are good when they’re anonymous, but most of them are better when they know who played them.” Then she snapped the top of the garbage bag open and closed so the scent of cat turds wafted up into Devon’s face, and he kicked her in the shin.

They agreed ahead of time, though. This one is only funny if it’s organic, and he made Misha swear. No gloating, no grinning, not a hint that they’re involved.

“Uh, okay, sure, but you’re the one who confesses to Daddy any time you think you’ll get in trouble,” Misha scoffed. “So maybe worry less about me.”

Sometimes he thinks Misha hit her head in the Arena.

But for now, Misha’s sneaking glances like the rest of them but also using the distraction to nick one of Callista’s brandy chocolates (which are also … BDSM-themed? one of them has handcuff-shaped drizzle, and that one is, okay well that’s just a buttplug). Devon definitely stares at Misha too long, which would usually be a tell, but this time it’s because she took the strawberry vibrator truffle and his brain refuses to process the entire scenario.

(Earlier Emory ate the vanilla clitoris Callista offered her without even blinking, and he knows he and Misha will be debating whether she recognized it for the next three days.)

“Fascinating,” Ronan says, blank-faced to the end, and passes the envelope to his left without another word. Devon wants to be him when he grows up.

Brutus, next in line — perfect, excellent, thank you Ronan — stares at the paper for a long time. Turns it over, holds it close to squint at it (he will never get glasses, but probably should have five years ago), before finally recoiling like a wet cat and exploding: “Well this is some bullshit!”

Devon loves his mentor so much.

“Give me that.” Lyme snatches the paper away, then reads aloud in an incredulous voice: “‘Which of the following Victors, if any, do you think you could beat in a fight if you were unarmed?’ … What the fuck?”

“It’s a Capitol poll.” Ronan, placidly signing a stack of photographs, adds. “They aggregated the data. You can see the full methodology on the last page. It’s quite fascinating.”

“Social science,” Adessa sniffs dismissively.

“7% of Capitol citizens think they could beat you barehanded,” Ronan continues in the same helpful tone, to which Adessa sits bolt upright and hisses out I beg your fucking pardon in a tone of such icy poison that everyone in the room reflexively sits back.

Devon does not make eye contact with Misha — if he does they’re made, they’re done for, it’s the end of the fucking line — but she has to know. They cannot get caught now. Adessa will skin them and use their hide for tasteful sofa cushion covers. It’s the most fun he’s had in months.

“Poor Seeder is at the bottom,” Lyme says, which, yeah, okay. There are older Victors, but she’s the only one who never made a single kill. “Respect to the 33% who think they couldn’t take her, though. Some decent self-reflection there.”

Brutus has his thundercloud face on, and Misha cocks her head to the side. “Who’s at the top?”

Lyme’s grin turns sharp. Claudius, not an idiot, catches on. “Oh, hey, yeah, boss, who’s at the top? Who’s the one nobody says they can fight?”

“Nobody, technically.” Lyme tosses the envelope to Claudius. “2% of Capitol citizens think they can win a fight against me.” She pauses long enough to give it significant weight. “Without weapons. But five percent think they can take the big guy over there.”

Misha lets out a laugh so startled and delighted it’s obvious she didn’t fix the numbers. Devon watches as Brutus squints at her, then huffs in irritation, satisfied at her genuine reaction.

And he’s right, is the thing. Misha didn’t sabotage Brutus’ numbers — Devon did.

Each of them agreed to a limit of one interference, and made a pact not to boost their own mentor in the ranks, as that would be far too obvious. What Misha clearly did not understand, but Devon does, is that as much as he idolizes his mentor, killing Brutus’ results is far, far funnier.

And now it’s Claudius’ turn to frown at the results. “Huh,” he says slowly. “More people think they can fight me than —“

To his credit, he stops, but nobody in this room was Reaped yesterday. Petra pushes herself off her chair and snatches the papers out of his hands without a word. “Interesting,” she says crisply. “Innnnteresting. 45% for Claudius, 38% for me.”

Huh indeed. Petra is very much a badass, but Devon would swear that nobody in the Capitol remembers the girl with the mace, covered with blood and screaming for survival —

Misha catches his eye and twitches her eyelid in the briefest of winks before turning back to her autographs.

Huh. Looks like both of them did something unexpected with their given sabotage.

“Okay look.” Claudius holds up both hands. “You are a stone-cold badass. You hold the kill record, I am not arguing your numbers. But forty-five? Half? Half the Capitol thinks they could take me?”

“Perhaps they read the question incorrectly,” Callista suggests. Lyme chokes on her brandy and gives her an absolutely murderous glare, but Claudius only blinks at her. And yeah, the day Claudius gets a sex joke on the first try is the day Lyme dances ballet in a tutu. “Never mind, darling.”

Petra scans the rest of the page, nose wrinkled. “23% think they could defeat Odair. It’s an even spread of 30% for the One siblings. Did they even watch the Games, or just buy the fashion spreads?”

A shared look flickers across the gathering, quick as lightning, before Petra glances up. “The people remember what they want to remember,” Odin says, an understatement for the century, but Petra screws up her face in distaste and does not argue. He glances over her shoulder, eyebrows creeping into his hair. “And we must assume there is something of the ego, as well. 12% for me, my goodness.”

The packet makes it around the circle with mostly predictable results, a few outliers — far too many people think they could fight Emory, a fact she takes with good grace and Petra with outrage, and Johanna Mason apparently has the Capitol unduly terrified for a woman her size. There’s a tense moment when Enobaria learns she’s second on the list to Lyme and everyone braces for a scrap, but she only scoffs.

“They’re afraid of carbs.” Enobaria rolls her eyes. “They think a seven-minute workout will give them muscles like Nero. They don’t know anything. If we really want to know who’s stronger we can take it outside anytime.” Lyme raises her glass in salute, a rare moment of camaraderie.

“So,” Devon says that night, curled around Misha under the quilt. They’ve cracked the window for air, and crickets sing in the grass below. “Did you tank Claudius, or boost Petra?”

Her cheek stretches in a smile against his forehead. “I’m not telling.”

“I can’t believe people actually think they can beat any of us in a fight, though. Even Caleb, or Woof. Have you seen him when he’s sleeping?” Devon yawns. “You walk past his chair and he’ll crack your kneecap with that truncheon he keeps in his cupholder.”

“Eh. It was good fun. Plus it’s nice to remind everyone we’re dangerous.” Misha runs her fingers through Devon’s hair, nails dragging lightly across his scalp. “We could kill them all, if we wanted. We just choose not to. That’s why they pretend like they could fight us.”

There’s something about that, Devon thinks, something Brutus wouldn’t like, but Misha’s hand is soothing and his blanket cocoon is warm, and he sinks into sleep before the thought can fully form. If he forgets in the morning it can’t be that important, anyway.

#lorata answers #anonymous #we must be killers: tales from district 2 #my writing #prompt fill

[the-anime-man]

What if Sig got to the Tome of Sealing first? AKA Tomo AU

hi again tumblr, please dont expect a whole lot from this blog, once again, but, i wanted to post like a little basic thing about this au i've had since 2021 now that i'm back into puyo again,

this is an au that Heavily relies on bits of fanon and headcanon to make it work cuz canon is puyo puyo is very fucking wishy washy but essentially, what if sig had checked out the tome of sealing from the library before klug was able to? (sorry if this is a bit scatterbrained, im not good at organizing my thoughts much,,)

(also please dont mind some of the art, im like an ok artist at best and some of this shit is from 2 years ago as well)

so like, as the absolute fucking nerd i am, i made like an initial google doc on this thing outlining most of the shit im about to summarize here (that i might link if someone asks at some point i guess idk) as well as a fanfic, didnt finish that though, i got like through barely a chapter before i stopped and then i got into sam and max but that's unrelated to now

ANYWAYS, the au is as it sounds, sig goes to precise museum and, guided by the voice of the crimson soul, finds the tome of sealing and checks it out (much to akuma's chargin,,) and then he checks out the book again,,, and again,,,, and a gain,,,, (you see where this is going)

but uh, why is it called tomo au? see im being a little shitter here and i thought maybe the crimson soul's memory would be a little shot after spending ages in a book so they might not remember their name and sig is like "you're my friend now so i'm gonna call you friend/tomodachi" but then he's like "that's too long i'm gonna call you tomo instead" so they just go along with it, for future reference, anytime i mention the crimson soul i'm gonna be calling it Tomo

wow that's really fucking big sorry,

sig has an immense attachment to tomo from the get go btw, he's like, i wanna say like 8 or so when he first gets to the book, so besides the obvious literal halvsies soul connection there's that childhood connection as well,

side note: they can speak to each other cuz of that soul connection btw, it's my personal headcanon that after slug (canon strange klug/the crimson soul) can speak to anybody who they've possessed before as well as their other half, so in canon klug and sig can hear the book talk but in this au only sig can hear them

also, the reason why tomo doesn't attempt to take over sig right from the outset is A) they dunno where the unsealing objects are and B) sig is a child and uh, another part that i'm still trying to work the kinks through of is whether tomo decides to hold off on doing the fusion dance of their own volition or if because the cyan soul (which can speak to tomo, but only when sig is asleep cuz when sig is awake the cyan soul IS sig, nother headcanon sorry) decides it's too soon, they probably have memories of previous incarnations stored in there and know that eventually sig will start showing more demonic traits but not when he's baby

wow this is getting to be a lot but we're not even done cuz now i gotta talk about what this means about shit like fever 2 and such (y'know canon things and all)

boy tumblr just hates making images smaller nowadays huh,

so when sig starts showing signs of his heritage (i.e., a bit before fever 2 happens) tomo and sig start to hatch a plan to get tomo a body back! of course, tomo is omitting some things about how they're actually going to go into sig's body cuz at this point they've been together for a few years now and sig trusts tomo as like, a best friend i guess? something like that,

so sig is under the impression tomo is gonna be released and get their old body back and tomo is under the impression that as soon as the seal releases they'll enter sig's body, join back up with the cyan soul, and return to their original form,

so sig transfers over to amitie and klug's class, (tomo) overhears that lemres is coming into town with the items they need, and they steal the shit and head to the ruins to perform the unsealing

SPOILERS! shit goes wrong

ignore how shitty the ms paint art from a couple of years ago is, might change the hair to be more red in future art

for reasons (that i also need to workshop because to be honest originally it was a "whoever unseals it gets their soul swapped with whoever is trapped in the book" but like??? idk if that's how it should work when it comes to these two specifically), sig and tomo swap places instead of a fusion happening,

sucks balls for both of them cuz this is like the Last thing either of them wanted out of this tbh, sig obviously because well, trust got broken and ended up trapped til the artifacts are stolen (klug either swaps roles with amitie or sig, haven't figured that one out yet either) and tomo most certainly doesn't want sig trapped, as they wouldn't want anyone to experience the loneliness of being sealed away like they were (except klug, fuck klug specifically) (also the chronicles drama cd mentions that part of tomo's character in it so it works for my purposes)

this image wasn't necessarily specific to tomo au but i thought it would fit anyways, sorry it's a bit blurry my phone wouldnt focus on the damn thing properly

and after fever 2,,, i kind of dont have as clear of a story? or a plan? there's some tension between sig and tomo for at least a little while but sig eventually forgives them, as well i don't know how i would tackle something like sig's secret if at all?? but yeah that's the main shit to this au, sorry it's all so very long! this has been on my mind for a few weeks now and it was on my mind for months back in 2021, so i just have a lot i'm throwing out here into the wind, if you got this far: thanks so much for reading!

here's some bonus shit for getting to the end of the main shit:

tomo calls sig "little blue" sometimes, since he's yknow, younger than them and blue but calls the cyan soul their "other half"

if you couldn't tell from the first image, since sig has his bookbag, he carries tomo around in that, but if he's stopped somewhere he'll leave the book open next to him so tomo can see around (hard to see with the covers in the way)

sig was already probably ostricized for yknow, his autistic tendencies, the book did not help with that, but it gave him a trusted confidant :)

sig actually starts developing his demonic traits earlier than in canon due to his proximity to tomo, but not by much

klug has stolen the book before, both demon halves were not pleased with this and klug has not attempted to steal the book again

sig can supplement his own magic power with tomo's for an incredibly large boost, and tomo doesn't mind doing so, this gives sig almost the exact same amount of power as the full demon used to have and also changes his right eye to red

OH, both relevant to this au and my own interpretation: the full demon's name was wisteria, but neither sig nor tomo remember it until either are reminded of that

ok that's it go home now bye bye

#sig puyo puyo #strange klug #puyo puyo #puyo puyo au #long post #under the cut i mean #tomo au #Get me an art tag the thrilling saga #WAIT YOU CAN EDIT TAGS ON TUMBLR NOW WHEN WAS THIS A THING #tldr i have a lot of thoughts about this dumbass au i've made enjoy my scattered ramblings 👍

[favoure]

Sorry if you got this asked before but I'm so in love with your artwork, how did you get so good at anatomy and posing? I struggle a lot with it.

omg HI TY TY !!!! uuuhm tbh it was mainly 4 things for me: using irl pics as ref, using my artgods' art as ref, obsessing over proportions until it becomes second nature to you fr, and 3d models or posing apps .... [some examples and entire ramblings under the cut i got carried away AGH]

using irl pics as reference - i literally go on pinterest n combine several photos 2 get the pose i want, [or when it comes to hands i take pics of my own lol] i usually browse through magazine photoshoots or pics of statues n find stuff with cool poses .... this also applies to other stuff rlly like for clothing folds i would pick out parts that would look and feel right and interpret it in my own wayyy

find an artist with a Banger sense of anatomy n use their stuff as reference - bonus points if ur artgods have a semi realistic style n ur already obsessed with their stuff like Seriously the other half of my ref photos are other ppl's art and i would copy the way they draw certain things - i also actively observe How they draw these certain things like "oh this is actually in a triangle shape" or "oh theres a bump here and its followed by a straightish line" and i am mindful of these, i make sure to remember them even just the tiniest change bc that's still an improvement yk a different way of thinking abt something - love these accs for anatomy [tomfoxdraws, taco1704, kato_anatomy], this artist is great at simplifying their ref but still keeping it dynamic and flowy [UTWP_], and this acc for more general tips but with timelapses so u can see how they go about drawing something [KawaiiSensei_jp] <- theres also some anatomy stuff there toooo also SORRY literally 4/5 of these accs are in japanese or korean i just look at stuff n think about it no need to read :sob:

study up on proportions n figure out ways 2 simplify stuff using basic shapes - thanking my 12 year old self for being so nitpicky abt proportions like, i used to "measure" the length of the limbs and from doing that i learned how a bunch of stuff works like halfway point of the torso is also where elbows are, hands end midthigh, thigh usually as long as torso etcetc and since i got so used to "measuring" these it's just muscle memory for me atp, its all about the observations ur honor - for simplifying stuff its like, breaking something down to its basic shapes like how the hand can be a square or a triangle with a bunch of circles or cylinders attached to it, how the torso can be a rectangle circle or triangle depending on the body type etcetc - once again its actively observing and keeping what u learned in mind and doing it over and over again until it Sticks and u can change stuff n improve on it as u learn more about it

3d models / posing apps - literally only just started using these. a month or two ago ??? but i find these Very useful for when i have Such a specific pose in mind or when im too lazy to find or take ref pics WOOPS i also use irl ref pics when posing my 3d model btw im not That lazy KJSDFSDF

oh and i watched jjba and that singlehandedly made me like muscles and want to study how to draw them help there's that too ig ..... I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS MAKES SENSE ITS ALL JUST MOSTLY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE HOPE THIS HELPS !!!!!!!!

#asks for ain #tutorial #art tips #art tutorial #drawing tutorials #REALLY THO its all in how u think abt it idk how i got 2 this point tho WAHSJDHFSDF #back at it again w my silly silly. tutorial things #yeag

[theblogofdavyjones]

The sketch artist

Pairing: Davy Jones x reader

Warnings: None

Requested: @thesamuraiofsingapore

Request:

Heyy hi if it's possible I would like to make a request! With like Davy Jones when he was still human who discovers in his crew a girl who pretended to be a man only to become a sailor and one day Davy discovers that Reader spent his time making portraits of him with little hearts and things like that. Idk if I explained myself well 😭 If you don't accept it's fine byee <3

***

You can’t recall on how long it’s been since you’ve voluntarily traded yourself in on Jack Sparrow’s behalf to settle his debt with Davy Jones.

You would literally do anything for anyone, it didn’t matter if it was for someone you know, or for someone who was a complete stranger to you. But you knew Jack Sparrow, not just by name but by basically growing up together as childhood friends. The both of you were close, not in a romantic way, but through a friendship way.

Even now, you still kept that friendship close within your heart. When you offered to take Jack’s place, Jack protested against it, but you wouldn’t let him convince you otherwise. Jack couldn’t help but feel angry about it, angry about losing you as a payment in debt, angry he wouldn’t have someone there to be keeping company. With a whispering plea and a pleading look, Jack reluctantly agreed to let you go.

But it was more of what you asked of him.

“Please. Please let me do this for you. You’ve given me so much already, I’m certain of this.” you promise.

———

As you keep thinking of that moment, it still feels as if all that happened yesterday.

The memory of the first night stepping onboard the Dutchman, was still just as fresh in your mind. As you think of it, after accepting the terms of one hundred years of service, it dawns on you it’s been five years since the trade. Your personality is unique, you are an expert on letting yourself show no fear at all when it’s struck within you. You didn’t know what Davy Jones would do to you, but you know at some degree of what he is capable of and is known for doing, and guessing how it all may turn out scared you more than for it to actually be happening.

When you got there, you were surprised that Davy Jones seemed to be sparing you the treatment his crew was forced to go though without a fight. Rather, the captain would give some tasks, mainly the smaller and lighter ones to which you never once refused. Overtime, Davy Jones started growing a soft spot for you as you were surprising yourself that you were beginning to like him and not mind being around him so much. Bootstrap noticed of course, and when he approached you about it one day, he approached you while sitting in some shade, obviously in a different world drawing in your sketchbook.

“What’s that you got there?” he asks, over shoulder.

You nearly jumped at his voice.

“Sorry, miss. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine, these are just some of my sketches I’ve done.” you reply.

You look to Bootstrap as he’s giving himself a closer look at your drawings, and is immediately admired by your talent.

“These are really good, they should be framed of the wall of the ship.”

Bootstrap goes on with the compliments until he stops at a picture of Jack Sparrow.

“You still think about-“

“That one was from a long time ago.” you say, cutting him off.

When Bootstrap turns to the next page, you’re face drains of color, embarrassed by the sketch he had just found.

It starts from a sketch of Barbossa, and Bootstrap himself, to now something more surprising. It was surprising enough that it would have one raise their eyebrows as a sign of their interests.

It was a half drawing of Davy Jones. The idea to sketch Davy Jones had come when you heard him mentioning of Jack Sparrow to Maccus. As you knew it was going to be another challenge to conquer, you were confident enough to sketch him by memory. You had his image in your mind, but later on, you knew you’d be needing more than an image, and that’s how you came about sitting in the little bit of shade you could find.

“Is th-“

You quickly swipe the sketch book away from his hold.

“That’s, that’s nothing. Really.”

Bootstrap didn’t want to press on, or make you say anything you don’t want to.

So he nods in understanding before inviting you a walk around the ship, to which you accept. But not before returning that sketch book to your quarters. Once you did, you weren’t thinking and had only thrown it on the bed before turning away.

———

While on your walk with Bootstrap, Davy Jones had a task assignment for you, and sent Maccus to go fetch you from your quarters.

Once Maccus had reached your quarters, and there was no response to his knocking on the door, he lets himself in, thinking you might be asleep. However, to his surprise, you weren’t at all there, the only thing that was left in his sighting was of the sketch book that was left behind. Because he had some sort of respect for you, guilt tripped him a little as he takes it into his own hands and opens it.

He couldn’t help but make a face of disgust seeing the first drawing was of Jack Sparrow, than to Barbossa. When he got to the sketch of himself, he froze and admired before turning the next page. The half drawing of Davy Jones was a shock to him, but as he got a closer look, he noticed there had been tiny hearts around the art. The next thing he did was take the sketch book with him to hand it over to Davy Jones himself. The captain needed to see this, or so that’s what he thought. It would soon turn into a disaster after you would find out what Maccus had done.

Or at least, that’s what you had thought.

Only time will tell.

***

@theblogofdavyjones

Requests: open

Tags: @kyoui @royisrandom @marsswann @imalittleoutthere @princessofthornsandroses @justafairytailofinnocence @friendlynova @personlovinganime @mypookiebeardavyjones

A/N:

I changed it up a bit to make it a little easier for me to write, I hope you still like it!

[rookawawastaken]

xiaolumi: sharing a mattress on a chilly night

happy valentines day !!summary: xiao invites lumine to join his team during a gamejam* since their previous artist dropped out last minute. some poor organisational skills lead to some great cuddles. tags: modern AU, uni AU, gamejam, gamedev!xiao x artist!lumine

* a gamejam, to put it simply, is a game-making marathon during which the participants focus solely on making a game. the criteria for the game depend on the jam and usually change up every time

feel free to drop by and say hello to me on twitter! this ficlet is also posted there. :]

this is Lumines first GameJam, and, to be completely honest, she’s here only for Xiao. he asked to join last minute since his team's original artist dropped out a few days before the event, and she agreed. after all, even if she doesn’t enjoy making a game, she will always enjoy her best friend's company, and some new experience comes as a bonus, too.

the first day went surprisingly great – everyone was very nice, Lumine befriended an artist from another group during a lunch break, her own team has a wonderful game idea that she’s very excited about, and she got to see Xiao working on something he’s passionate about. they do study together, but never has she seen his eyes sparkle the way they did when they talked about their game. sure, his face seemed neutral, but after being friends with him since they both were in diapers, she can see that little smile whenever he gets his hands on something he enjoys.

all’s well on the game-developing side of things, however, in their haste, they forgot to figure out the sleeping arrangements, so the team ended up with one less mattress than needed. Xiao, being the way he is, offered up his own to her the moment he realised his mistake, but Lumine is not letting that boy sleep on the floor and get a cold, or maybe not even sleep at all. they all will get their beauty sleep, one way or another.

– what if you two just share? i don’t believe you haven’t shared a bed before in all the years you’ve known each other! – and, honestly, Venti was absolutely right, they have shared before, even if it was quite a while ago.

the thought of sleeping together (literally, get your head out of the gutter!) with Xiao isn’t making Lumine uncomfortable, and the guy seems to be okay with that as well, so that’s what they decide on – squeezing together on the same mattress, under the same blanket. she wasn’t able to talk Xiao out of giving her his pillow, but it’s okay. at least he’ll sleep.

but, oh, the room was actually quite chilly, and Lumine was always prone to freezing even in relatively warm temperatures. as much as she tries not to shiver, lest she troubles Xiao, he knows. Xiao has learned to read Lumine just as well as she’s at reading him, if not better for the fact she is far less reserved than the boy.

– Lumine.

she almost yelps, getting jumpscared by Xiao’s half-whisper, hot breath right on her ear. when she turns to him, lying on her back now, with Xiao partly hovering over her, propped on one elbow, Lumine can’t help but blush.

her best friend is extremely attractive.

– yeah?

– you’re shivering. are you cold?

– sorry, i just, i didn’t think it would be that cold…

Xiao sighs, though, not unkindly. he’s quite used to her shenanigans, even allowing himself a small smile that he hides in the dark of the room. – come here?

– where? – she doesn’t get what he means at first, but when he lays on his side and opens his arms up, basically non-verbally inviting her to cuddle with him, she can’t help but ask. – are you sure?

– i don’t want you to catch a cold because of my poor management skills. – Lumine could swear she can see him pouting, but there are no light sources, and she can’t tell for sure. – just let's warm you up, okay?

Lumine hesitates only for a few moments, before moving closer to the boy, just as he puts his arm under her head for a pillow, and holds her close, just a little above her waist. – comfy?

and, to be quite honest, yes, she is very comfy. and so-so warm.

she lets him know that much. the only reply she gets from him is a quiet snort.

they lay in silence for a while, in a few minutes Lumine is all warmed up and cozy, slowly drifting to sleep, sleepily nuzzling into Xiao’s chest. – thank you, Xiao.

– it’s nothing. rest up now, we have a lot to do when we wake up.

– good night, Xiao.

– sleep well.

the kiss on her hair that followed was probably just her imagination.

#ellierookawawrites #xiao x lumine #xiaolumi #xlmi #xiaogenshinimpact #luminegenshinimpact #genshinimpact #fic #fanfic #ficlet #drabble #ngl i forgot i had an account here #fluff #they are very soft

[shinesurge]

i got a fucking webtoon ad on youtube and their Thing now is "read before you stream!" because they've reached the point they're just blatantly using webcomics as like pregame for what i can only assume will be shitty half-baked "anime" video content and i am so FUCKING tired y'all. this is not what webcomics were supposed to be this is just more mainstream shit where producers are profiting off of overworked artists and totally disrespecting comics as a complete form of art on its own

i actually met a new comic person at momocon a few weeks ago who talked at length about their deal with webtoon, they were so /excited/ about having had to delay their launch for nearly a year because they were in arguments about rights. They were SO pleased they'd managed to keep "a fair amount" of the rights to their own fucking work, there's an anime in the works (for a comic project that has been forced to sit on a shelf and collect dust) AND they didn't even have anything at their table because they aren't allowed to sell their own work. this is what we're bringing people up to think is success?? being THANKFUL for the opportunity to hand your baby over to a company that encourages horrible limiting art practices and pays peanuts?? we don't need to do this anymore!! you ALREADY made the thing on your OWN we do not NEED people who only see comics as an ad revenue machine!!

the webtoon original schedule is so untenable for so little money there's Drama going around rn about people hiring uncredited assistants and underpaying THEM. they want this insane amount of overproduced work but still want to act like this is Indie Comics uwu so the partners have to keep quiet about the fact that this is just more of the same mainstream bullshit. DC is even posting official comics there now this space is not for us jfc

like yall know we made webcomics to get away from literally this shit right. how is it we're all mad about what disney and the big two do but webtoon coming into this specific scene and disrupting an entire generation this thoroughly doesn't even register. webtoon isn't a comics platform it's an ad platform that's somehow convinced a movement that carved out it's own platform twenty years ago that we need it

#this is inelegant but god im so furious all the time #fucking hell #i cannot express to yall how fucking bleak that conversation was this is where we're at now

[cyanidefilledcandy]

So....

I would absolutely love to stream right now, but I'm inable to.

One, because of whatever LOVELY person is blasting music like this is a fucking rave.

And two, and most importantly, I just am exhausted and don't have the energy for it; even after just waking up from a 1 and half nap.

And of course, I've narcolepsy to thank for that.

So, I recently went to a neurologist. I was hoping to finally get my face pain addressed and hopefully, diagnosed. But my new primary instead set me up with a sleep specialist. (I did not ask for, nor want this, btw. As I told the new sleep doctor, Narcolepsy is something I've just learned to live with and I'm manage it fine. It is not the severe, fall asleep at a split second kind, so I see no harm.) However, since my sleep study was so long ago and he'd likely be unable to get the records, he set me up with another that I had done last week. He said it might be something I have to "just deal with anymore" because that's been almost 15 years ago and medicine has advanced since then. He also said that there was a possibility I'd been diagnosed through process of elimination or that no other diagnosis fit at the time. So, I agreed, mainly for that last reason and because I was just curious.

So, I had it done and in it, I slept WAY better than normal and during the day, I couldn't sleep at all. (They ask you take naps throughout the day and only give you 20 minutes to do so. I don't care how tired I am, I could be literally passing out while standing, it I HAVE to sleep and especially if I know I have a small amount of time to do so, I can NOT sleep....like no matter what.) So, I was worried that the results wouldn't be accurate, one. And two, that I WASN'T actually narcoleptic and their was something else unexplainable going on (and thus, I'd have to start the process all over again).

Well, got the results today and I am 100% narcoleptic, though at this point in my life, that's a big Duh, but finding out what's wrong with me is always nerve-wracking. Anyway, they want to try me on some new medication for wakefulness during the day and......honestly, it's the whole reason why I didn't want to bother with any type of sleep study.

I'm not entirely sure why that kind of medication in particular makes me nervous. (And just now starting to wonder if I did indeed try some before and had a bad time because I honestly can't remember.)

But I think for one, it's a new medication. I have ALWAYS HATED medication with a passion and never want to be on too many pills.

Two, I'm worried about my insomnia. She mentioned that the staying awake or alert throughout the day can sometimes improve insomnia, but I'm 91% sure my insomnia is mostly anxiety and depression based. She also mentioned that getting regulated sleep can sometimes help with that....and that leads to another, unforseeable problem that arose.

They made me sign some kind of controlled substance contract and while I did scan through it and think I have a basic understanding, I have so many other issues that are far more pressing and I don't want to have issue with medications for those way more important things because I'm on some stimulant that I honestly don't want to be on. While my sleep definitely has an effect on my mental health, no part of me believes it's a CAUSE.

I have had mental health issues since I was a toddler; long, long before any type of sleep issues arose. So, *sigh*.....IDK. The whole thing just makes me nervous....

But, I AM willing to try. Maybe it DOES have an effect on my issues with my concentration and being able to complete tasks, especially my artistic pursuits (though again, I don't think it's the root). I will give it the college try, but if it keeps me up at night, or I just don't feel like it's doing anything, I will stop.

#cyanidefilleddiary #medical woes #narcolepsy

[flightyquinn]

I'd like to share something with you, Tumblr.

When I first played D&D 3.5, many years ago now, I played a bard named Wren, using a homebrew race that you could find on the official Wizards forums around that time called the Kassuri. He was a goofy little manlet with the ears and tail of a fox who knew no fear. He got to ride on the back of a luck dragon.

He tamed a shocker lizard and named it Tazer. He once drank a whole bucket of dwarven ale without getting drunk, and then shouted, "I said a large glass!" and another time bluffed a group of elven soldiers that the Half-orc paladin was his pet. When a demon killed his mentor, he avenged them and made a coat out of the demon's wings.

He fought his former friend turned enemy, almost died, and won. He got knighted by his king after starting the campaign exiled from his homeland, and then prayed so hard to be a better person that his alignment shifted right before going to face the final boss. When he realized the BBEG was sensitive to sounds and played a heavy metal lute solo so sick that it literally caused their Fortress of Evil to collapse.

It was a silly game, played fast and loose by a group that only half understood the rules, but it was a blast to play. After having some not-so-good experiences with AD&D (may I never forget The Exploding Cleric), it was the first game I ever played to the end of a campaign. I loved the game, and I love my group from back then...Hothgoth, Lios, Pixie, Elena, Leif, and even the others who came in later and didn't stick around as long. I've held onto those memories, and my beloved "first successful character", ever since.

Until the tail end of last year, I never had any decent art of him.

This is Wren, almost perfectly as I envisioned him all those years ago.

The sad truth is, unless you're an artist yourself, it can be hard to get character art for TTRPGs. Most people I know in the hobby don't have a lot of money, and even if they do you never know how long a character may last before getting killed by bad rolls. Back in the day, for the game Wren is from, we just used a text description and imagined the character. These days, most people I know use a virtual table top. Characters need tokens (and usually profile pictures for when other players check the sheet), and for hardcore players like me that are in several games a week, that's a lot of art that could need swapped out on a moment's notice.

The sad truth is, people just steal it. Even the people I know who are artists steal art, only really drawing characters they get attached to. We discuss what images would be good for characters, show one-another what we've found, and it's not uncommon to decide details about a character based on what kind of a picture you can find for them. So...when AI art started becoming a thing, I got excited.

Artist Tumblr probably noticed right away that the picture up there is AI generated. It's a pretty good output, but there's still telltale signs. Yes I notice them, and no they don't bother me. It's better than any of the attempts I ever made at doing a picture myself, and even if I could afford a picture of that level of quality, who knows if the artist I found would be able to fully understand my description the way I see it in my head, or if they would be willing to put in the time and effort to revise it to my satisfaction. It was going to be imperfect either way, but I was able to take time (a frankly ridiculous amount) to tweak things and start over and try different approaches until it was to my satisfaction.

...and like I said, I make a lot of characters. Now, instead of just finding some picture I like and stealing it wholesale, I end up generating a lot of character art. It's just for my personal use either way, and thanks to AI, I get to express my own ideas.

I know some people out there are abusing the technology to make a quick buck, but please remember that's a fault of those people. There are people abusing just about every technology out there. For other people, who are only trying to use it to express themselves or to do things without needing an additional skillset they don't have, AI art is a godsend.

#tabletop gaming #roleplaying games #dungeons and dungeons #dungeons & dragons #my character #my oc #character art #ai art #ai art generation #maybe rant #personal nostalgia #also some conditions make it hard to be an artist #like poor color vision #so ai tools are literally an accessibility option #don't be mean #blame corporations not people

[badedramay]

I’m going to say something unpopular which is that, I don’t think Fawad and Mahira should’ve played Sikander and Liza in a 2023 adaptation of JBHSSL. Even if this drama was being made 5 years ago, they could’ve worked, but not anymore. I’m glad it’s not them, but I will acknowledge that the actual casting is pure nepotism if the rumors are true.

Anyway, FK is over 40 and Mahira is also 38. Listen, they look PHENOMENAL for their ages, and Bollywood and Lollywood have serious ageism issues (where a 31 year old actress will start playing mothers to 20-something actors but 55 year-old actors will romance girls who are 19). Those are important issues for another post.

But specifically speaking of the characters of JBHSSL, Mahira and Fawad just don’t look like Sikander and Liza, young adults who are lost in several ways when they cross paths, anymore. Fawad Khan is a gorgeous man but he can’t pass for a 20-something anymore, and neither can Mahira. It was difficult enough accepting her as an MPhil student in HKKST, and that was already two years ago. They just don’t have that same youthful innocence that they did, and that’s ok, they’re humans. They’re not supposed to look the same for 12+ years.

And I’m not saying that only people who look like they’re in their 20s can be romance leads, but for this specific novel, unless they significantly change timelines, that bit of naïveté of youth is important and I just don’t think it would be believable coming from them at this point.

We are a country of over 200 million people. We should try and recruit new talent because we have more than plenty, which is another reason I’m bringing up not defaulting to the same stars over and over again because they’re, well, “stars”. I completely understand bringing MK and FK on board because they are some of our biggest stars, and we should all be rooting for this drama to be a hit since it can open doors for more Netflix ventures, but I agree with what the casting directors reportedly did here. They brought on massive stars to build hype and pretty much guarantee views but they also tried to do some realistic casting in terms of ages as well. You can say it’s low key unfair to Mahira and Fawad fans to bring them on board and use their names but not make them the stars, but they’ve both been in this industry for 15+ years; nobody forced them to do this. I’m sure they can see the value of being in the first ever Netflix project for a country. They want their names out there as much as their fans do, trust.

that's the thing. this novel has been in the news to be adapted for YEARS. literally..YEARS!! i remember when Balaa was on air (2018) and Bilal Abbas was THE rage on social media..he gave off immaculate Sikandar Shehryar vibes to me. i couldn't believe anyone else to do that role more than him in those days. he looked the part, he gave off the aura of the part. back then Fawad was so distant from PakTV as a whole that just on that principal i didn't want him to be part of the project. but then years passed and nothing was confirmed and actors aged up and changed their style so I just forgot about it all. Namal Khawar when she was doing Anaa was gave the perfect Liza vibes. she could pull off the half Pakistani, half Italian heritage and Namal is an artist irl so like..WHO ELSE COULD'VE BEEN BETTER?! and then Namal and Hamza got married and Hamza toh hai hi Hamza..he pulls off silent broody somber romantic hero extremely well (Mann Mayal is a great example). what better pairing than them?! but again..years passed. nothing happened.

i digress. i meant to say that for YEARS fans have been fancasting this novel. ab finally jaake there's some confirmation about this project and it is a mix of some of the old favorites and some completely new names so I get why there's such "strong" backlash from the fandom. this backlash is not 100% because of the acting prowess or star power of the actors supposedly playing the lead roles but more due to the sentiments attached of the fans with their personally preferred casting that they'd have been hoping to be canon for years. FaHira fans aren't as mad about Fawad and Mahira not playing Sikandar and Liza as they are mad that the two aren't paired romantically. chances are if they are given the confirmation that Fawad and Mahira, while not playing the lead roles of the novel, will have their own romantic track in the drama and the fans will shut up. unhen sirf apni jodi ka romance chaiye, aur kuch nahin. FaHira fans have always disliked the Fawad-Sanam jodi because in their head it's blasphemous for Fawad to have two successful romantic jodis that continue to garner praise. if Humsafar was a hit, so was ZGH. and ZGH toh was a bigger hit in India. the fact that it was Sanam Saeed who was also considered for Raees and the only reason she couldn't make it to the auditions was due to her wedding proves that Indian filmmakers had noticed Sanam's potential to be received well in India. Mahira Khan is not as "exclusive" as the fans thought she was. and yeah, that hurts their ego.

The casting IS messy, YES but considering the story it is also FINE. i am reading that Netflix wanted Fawad, MK, and Hamza for the project so they had to be cast one way or another. fact is that these actors with their age and seniority can NOT pull off the characters as WRITTEN in the novel. the limitations of the body can not be overcame by sheer force of the fandom. yeah..but they can be accomodated in the adaptation if they play completely different roles. there's nothing wrong with them playing older generation in a flashback. so what? didn't Fawad and Mehwish play great grandparents or something to Ms. Marvel in one episode? DIDN'T THAT ONE SINGLE EPISODE HAD THE WORLD PRAISING THEIR CHEMISTRY AND STORY???? it was nothing more than a one episode cameo but it was done WELL and it WORKED. just because these actors are potentially playing the parents of the leads of the novel doesn't mean they will necessary be relegated to insignificant roles. Farhat Ishtiaq is GOOD when it comes to expanding the story of her novel to accommodate the demands of TV adaptation. she has done that in Diyar e Dil, Yaqeen Ka Safar, and Mere Humdum Mere Dost. are the makers absolute FOOLS that they'll cast some of the BIGGEST names of the industry that are widely known internationally and give them no significant story line or characters??? c'mon now.

Actors can play characters older than their real life age on screen more convincingly than the actors playing characters younger than their age. Ahad can pull off the carefree youth of Sikandar just as well as he's capable of portraying the angst of a 30 something Sikandar. Fawad cannot do both the things. THAT'S A FACT. THAT'S A FACT!!! Ahad and Khushhal can pull off a sibling bond with both the bitterness of youth to the understanding of maturity that Hamza and Fawad cannot. bhayee aap se KIS NE KAHA HAI ke Netflix pe show karne ke liye aapko Oscar nominated hona laazmi hai. HAVE YOU SEEN NETFLIX ORIGINALS?????? they literally adapt dramas from novels all around the world and cast up and coming actors from the industry ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME!!!! this is NOT a new phenomenon. had Netflix wanted to they could've simply gone over every contender's head and take completely NEW actors for the project from Instagram content creators lot and that would've STILL fit their MO. yahan toh phir bhi they are taking established names. like???

so yeah, the casting is messy but not irredeemably disastrous. once they officially reveal the actors and their characters, the fans will come around it. as for the new audience that Netflix is of course targeting to get via this project..they'll don't care about the casting as much anyway. the only absurd decision the makers have done so far is the way the project was announced and confirmed. not a single word from the actual people making the show but plenty of noise from unconnected sources. that ain't it bruh. this should've been done via a proper press conference like how Parwaz Hai Junoon was announced (even uss time pe bhi the casting had ultimately changed but hey..it got the buzz going on in the right manner!)

#jbhssl

[lightleckrereins]

Have you seen that Nat Pilkington just got called out for cultural appropriation and her response (or lack thereof)

Yes I saw. And it is bad.

White woman dresses up as native american for a party and when called out her answer is "dont be dramatic" or "in my culture this is normal" that is bad and there is zero excuse.

You know with the queens my usual policy is:

We are not entitled to their personal lives (relationships, opinions, values, health, etc) outside of what they want to share with us. So it is everyone's right to have personal opinions you want to keep to yourself. But actively posting things influenced by them in a public plattform is another.

You shouldn't judge people only from comments they did over a decade ago and probably forgot about. People can change and learn you know (look in the early 2010s it was hype and cool to throw slurs around and do things that at the end of the day are a mockery of black people, it isnt right but back then no one in the mainstream said anything)

Don't judge without context.

Except in this case it was 1 publicly posted 2 in literal 2023 3 given context that I'd rather not have seen.

It is cultural appropiation and cultural mockery. And is taking something that wasn't cultural appropiation, ignoring its true history, and treating it just as something irrelevant you can have fun with. It should be called out. You don't get to be in an industry reputed to be a safe haven for minorities and in a show that has diversity and inclusion as one of its main selling points and pull this sort of stunts.

What is even worse is all the people defending her. You are not native american, you dont get to judge what is cultural appropiation and what isn't.

And for me. Saddly I know very well the feeling of seeing your culture treated as a fun costume and people not caring about what that actually means. Mexico gets that exact treatment and it sucks, and it makes you want to fight against the world. And still people will tell you to get over it. Cultures are not costumes but so many people refuse to even aknowledge that.

As for everyone saying that the village people dressed up like that. Shut up and sit down for some queer history.

Do you know where the name village people comes from? It comes from Greenwich Village; a neighborhood in New York City that formed as a bohemian paradise. A safe space for artists, writers, musicians, actors and in general those against society rules. It isnt surprising that it evolved to a center of LGBTQIA+ culture in the later half of the 20th century. Just so you get an idea of its relevance. Do you know what else is in Greenwich village? The Stonewall Inn. You know. The literal birth place of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement.

A thing happened in the Greenwich Village during the 70s where gay dancers and artists dressed up as this stereotypical male roles. Both to represent gay male fantasies and as a sign of defiance. It was subversive, not a costume. This is where the image of the Village People comes from. Its not them dressing up just because.

And why is one of them dressed up as a native american? It is because he is native american and already dressed up like that to perform in the village. Back to the idea of taking traditionally masculine figures as gay men.

Seriously do some research into this. There is a reason why older LGBTQIA+ people always say the younger generations should know their history. Things have evolved so much in the past 50 years. And it is currently semi hard to find primary source information about the village people (heavily influenced by them being at their peak popularity before the digital era) but this two interviews are a decent first stop about this particular thing.

[born-to-lose]

(@ your tags on the cramming a band's discography before a concert post) girl I listen to the artists who I go see live for years and don't get to meet them what the- 😭 gimme a slice of your luck pls

It's literally the only thing I'm lucky with, please don't be jealous, I promise my life sucks otherwise 😭😭 but I don't think it's about how long you've been listening to them and just how approachable they are, e.g. you're not gonna meet Slash as easily as some obscure band who plays clubs. Like

Oceans I didn't listen to before, but when I met them to get autographs and pictures with them and got into talking with the vocalist to ask if they wanted to play my local club, I found out we're from the same town

Lost Society I obviously listened to since they were the reason I even got the tickets where Oceans opened for them, I met Taz (who already played in Santa Cruz who I had been into for one and a half years at that point so that was probably the most starstruck I've felt and I was actually a bit awkward) and Mirko for a quick chat and pictures

Before I saw Nasty Ratz for the first time, I checked out like two songs, but I just had a beer with the singer the second time they played here so we'll count that as knowing them before

By Speed Stroke I think I checked out one song, but it was more of a background music thing while doing chores so it wasn't active listening, at the merch stand I met the singer and briefly talked to him about the show and he thanked me for my support (I should have asked for an autograph goddammit and the second time I saw them two months ago nobody was at the merch stand so I couldn't even get the shirt and two CDs I hadn't bought the first time, oh well they'll probably be back next year anyway). I think he recognized me last time too and I also got to sing one line of a song into the mic because I was in the front row

I also only checked out one song by The Royal Beggars beforehand and during the pause between the last two bands I hung out with them for half an hour, got the title "their biggest fan" and the bassist's "favourite person in the whole world" which I hope his long term girlfriend doesn't know about, was gifted a shirt, had a bunch of pictures taken with them, got my CDs signed, hugged all of them etc you know the story because I'll forever keep bragging about this

Another thing I developed a god complex over was meeting the singer and the guitarist of Superhorror. In this case I hadn't gotten the chance to check out their music and went into it only knowing they play horrorpunk. The guitarist just offered me a cigarette and went to have the rest of the band sign my CDs while the singer and I were talking and well. I kissed him and before I left he hugged me

#i'm so sorry this turned into a brag fest 😭 but now you know how they all happened #you see anon except for maybe lost society you haven't heard of any of them which means i'm just good at chatting up unknown bands #if you go to small venue shows i suggest approaching them to compliment them on their show and the rest should flow naturally #ask #anon #mel's concert stories

[arobinwithoutbatman]

((Alright folks, under the read more is the very long tale of what's happened so far in my dnd campaign and what happened last night

SO!

I live with my DM, have done for 5 years now and we've been best friends for about 20 years. Ish. We forget how old we were when we met. It's a long story. The entire world is homebrewed; everything from maps to culture to world history to an entire fucking pantheon. Seriously. My best friend is *incredible* and when I'm not involved in a campaign, I've been their sound board.

The party composition has changed a lot since we first started February 2022 for various reasons: -Cleric switched to Bard cause he was getting a bit bored and wanted to try something different for a while. The Cleric is still alive just currently tied up with work at his temple -Original Bard switched to Rogue because she lost her character sheet and it got flavoured that she was always a Rogue and just pretending to be a Bard -Barbarian was kicked out once he finally revealed his true toxic narcisstist colours and if he comes anywhere his ex (the Rogue player) we're calling the police -One of our Sorcerers switched to Paladin because we had no melee party members and got our asses handed to us a few sessions ago. That particular fight was meant to be difficult and unwinnable but not quite as drastic as what ended up happening. Lots of unlucky dice rolls

Current Level 10 Party composition is as follows: -Luran: Half Elf Bard, not sure what college. He's an artist, his inspiration is flicks of colourful paint that twirl very prettily around us -Love: Reborn Tiefling Sorcerer. Can't remember what her source of magic is rn. She's got all of her skin and organs and everything, she's just covered in burns -Farla: Tabaxi Rogue, Assassin specifically. She's caused so many fucking issues for us -.- Oh and she's officially in trouble with her guild for lack of loyalty and therefore potentially getting the rest of us in trouble -Xiderm: Reborn Eladrin Druid/Artificer. The tech thing is recent. He's literally a skeleton. Yes his name is a taxidermy joke. He and Love bond a lot over the death thing -Cassius: Human (I think) Paladin, Oath of Conquest. He's only been with us for a few sessions and was specifically assigned to us by our mercenary Guild Master to babysit us because we keep ending up in shit -Alice (AKA me~): Human Archfey Warlock, Pact of the Tome. I went full Alice in Wonderland because autism brain a couple years back said "This is a thing you like now" so I'm running with it. Wild Beyond The Witchlight only enabled this. My Patron is the Cheshire Cat~ I'm also currently a Dhampir! I got turned a while back and only got found out last night~

I can go into the story of the whole campaign cause that'll take up it's own post tbh but last night~

We finished our journey across the lake and continued escorting a lovely dwarf named Amelia. She's taking a project back to one of the big cities in the area; she's essentially making the world's first WarForged but it's not quite there yet, it's barely even a prototype and not even sentient. We're headed to the same place so we offered to go with her. We settled into this cosy little pub in a crack in a mountain, got a brief lesson on Dwarven culture (whether you finish the drink or not, you accept the mug that is offered to you and at least try a few sips. To so anything else is highly offensive) and settled in for the night before heading off the next morning. We stopped off at a teeny tiny hamlet cause night was falling, city is still like 3 days away. And the inn didn't really have enough rooms and beds for all of us so we sort of just... grabbed whatever space we could in the area.

Which made it difficult for me to sneak off and go find some food. Cause I got turned into a vampire in a session that happened in October and I only started seriously dropping hints in... March? Because I have heard our Druid/Artificer out of character chatting to our DM that he's sure something is going on with me and just never did anything about it in character. So yeah, I've been very quietly communicating with DM for that long for whenever I'm sneaking off at night to go find an animal to suck the blood of.

As you can imagine, I got caught. Rolled a pretty decent stealth check but Xiderm saw through it and was more concerned by the fact that I, Alice, a very proper lady and courtsean who needs sleep, was sneaking out of the inn in the middle of the night. I noticed I was being followed and tried to lose him, thought I did but we're in a mountain area. There's not a lot of wildlife around that would sate me and I went hungry the night before. Xiderm ended up catching me a couple of rodents of varying sizes but it wasn't enough to fully sate me. It'll have to do though. We had a good long talk and I was given an ultimatium: Tell the party about my condition before we reach Kethador ( the city we're headed to) or he will.

Which I've agreed to purely because that city is underground. No wildlife means no blood. Which means I start getting disadvantages after 3 days, after a week I have to kill to be sated and after 12 days I will go feral and we don't know how long we'll be there.

We also had a talk about when it happened (Player actually guessed this) and why. I chose it. When the rest of the party were getting attacked by creatures in the middle of the night, I was called by an alluring voice which turned out to be a very pretty lady vampire who offered me the choice to be turned instead of being attacked by her hoardes of brothers. I had a talk with Chesh and with her and then accepted her offer.

Anyway. Next morning we start going up the mountain pass and end up in a fight with a rock dragon. Think... Gravios from Monster Hunter. And then we ended there because we play in the evenings and some of us needed sleep and had work in the morning.))

#ooc

[thewhiskersonkittens]

It's been over a week since I saw it and I still can't stop thinking about the Barbie movie. It's like I'm still in shock. No one cares but I will write out my full thoughts here under the cut.

PROS

Like everyone says, I 100% agree on the set design of Barbie Land and the costumes. They did a fantastic job! I expect they will win some awards for those categories.

I like most of the soundtrack although there's probably about three artists on it I actually know. (I feel old.)

Ryan Gosling. To me, he had the best performance out of the whole cast. Ironically, in a movie literally called "Barbie", I found myself caring for Ken more. I think that is a testament to just how good of an actor Gosling is. They butchered Ken's character (just like they did Barbie's) and wrote a really half-ass script but Gosling STILL delivered.

Weird Barbie. I'm not much of a Kate McKinnon fan but I think she did really well. I love this concept of a "weird Barbie" because it's so true to life. Of course there would be a Barbie some little girl messed up! 😂

Speaking of "old", my favorite scene was the one with Barbie on the bench next to the elderly woman. I think this movie's message could have easily been about ageism more than tHe pAtRiaRcHy...

CONS

The biggest issue for me is what they did to Barbie and Ken's relationship. They are one of the most famous couples of all time, albeit a fictional one, but I just wanted them to be in love and kiss. 😭 I'm a hopeless romantic. I am tired of the idea that a Strong Female Character™ can't have a romantic relationship with a man because it makes her "weak" or "not as cool". One thing they could have done is say of course Barbie doesn't need Ken. But she chooses Ken because she loves him. She DOES love him. (IDC what Gerwig or Robbie says. They got it wrong.)

The plot(s) are all over the place! I can't remember but I don't even think the mother-daughter part of the story even got resolved or if it did it was done in like two seconds?! I don't remember, by then, I was getting bored and restless.

There was no point to Will Ferrell and the Mattel CEOs. After the chase scene, I completely forgot about them until they randomly reappeared at the end. I'm inclined to think they were only included to be a red herring for when they cut the trailers for the movie.

I didn't like how they named everyone else "Barbie" and "Ken" in Barbie Land (Aside from Alan and Midge). I get they are saying everyone can be a Barbie or a Ken no matter what you look like. But did they not know about all the characters in Barbie's world? Skipper, Courtney, Kelly (a.k.a. Chelsea), Stacie, Christie, Francie, etc? Just seems lazy IMO.

"The Message". Don't tell me "yOu jUsT diDn't GEt iT!!!" 😑 Oh, I got "the message", all right. IDK how anyone can watch this movie and not "get it" when they might as well beat you over the head with a goddamn sledgehammer. When I was a kid, I had a Life Size Barbie. Why don't you get one of those and write "FeMiNISm!!!" all over her body, take her by the heels, wind her up like a baseball bat and beat me to death for two hours?! In hindsight, it would have saved me time and money for sure.

If you liked this aspect of the movie, all the power to ya. You are allowed to like whatever you want to like. But everyone acting like this shit was so deep and profound... ??? I'm sorry, are you kidding me?! It's about as deep as a kiddie pool. I think there are rain puddles out there deeper than this.

They could have gone about the women's empowerment message in a much better way and a lot more subtle and a lot less hateful.

Which brings me to my next point about what I didn't like.

IDK what this movie was trying to be? It had some funny moments but most of the humour was corny and flat. I've been craving an unapologetically girlie, "chick-flick" movie for a long, long time now. The kind they used to make 15-20 years ago or so. Think "Legally Blonde", "Clueless" or "13 Going on 30". Or think even further back to the 80's with "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" or "Teen Witch". What better movie to make a return to that kind of genre than with a live action ���BARBIE✨ movie? She is the epitome of girlie-ness and femininity. But I guess that's too "problematic" now or something.

Why did only Ken sing? Don't get me wrong, he did great, but does it seem weird to anyone else why he was the only one? It seems kind of random IMO. Why didn't Barbie sing a solo? I have no idea if Robbie can sing or not but still. Again, what is this movie trying to be? It could have worked as a musical but it wasn't.... but they threw in a Ken song and dance number out of left field?

And lastly,

Margot Robbie. I HATE to say this, really I do. Because I really like her as an actress. I had so much faith and hope in her with this role. I thought she was a MUCH better choice for Barbie than Amy Schumer ever was!

Robbie looks the part of Barbie to a T. She's beautiful. But as the movie went on, I felt like she wasn't giving Barbie anymore. At least not Barbie in the way I imagine the character. It feels like she was playing a completely different character. Barbie in this movie never really helps anyone but herself. Barbie is not supposed to be an emotional manipulator but here, she is.

It's not Robbie's fault because Gerwig didn't write her character correctly. Same thing with Ken. He's a himbo, for sure, but he's not supposed to be some pathetic simp. I feel like both Robbie and Gosling were kind of wasted. They are both so talented but their characters were not written right.

So, all and all, if I had to rate the movie I'd give it a 5/10. I feel like they got some things right, some things they could have done much better, and some things they just shouldn't have done at all.

This is all just my honest thoughts and opinions. If you enjoyed the movie, I certainly don't want to take that away from you. I'm a huge fan of Barbie and I left the theater incredibly disappointed by the final product and I was SO excited for this.

#barbie 2023 #barbie spoilers #i hope we can still be friends #barbie